Giant Food Names Ops SVP
Giant Food has appointed Irfan Badibanga to the role of SVP of operations, effective Nov. 1. In his new position, Badibanga will lead all operational aspects of Giant Food, including regional operations, store support, strategic store planning, and execution and asset protection, in addition to people, team, and culture development.
He brings to the role a successful track record of transforming corporate objectives into bottom-line growth for supermarkets and small and big-box retailers, among them Walmart, Family Dollar, Winn-Dixie, H-E-B and Price Chopper Supermarkets.
“Irfan has been a successful, entrepreneurial leader, driving enormous growth at some of the largest retail organizations in this country,” noted Ira Kress, President of Giant Food. “We are confident that his deep management and operations expertise at both the regional and national level will bring tremendous value to our organization at a time when we are implementing a transformational brand strategy and evolving our culture.”
Badibanga began his grocery industry career as a bagger, and by the age of 24 he had become a district manager at Winn-Dixie. He then rose through the ranks at several supermarket chains, gaining expertise in store management, merchandising, operations, omnichannel delivery, asset protection, HR, and general management.
His most recent role was SVP of operations at Charlotte, North Carolina-based Family Dollar, overseeing 8,000 stores in 44 states. Before that, he was VP of operations at Bentonville, Arkansas-based Walmart overseeing 33,000 associates in a 110-store region generating $8 billion dollars in annual revenue.
“I am thrilled to be joining Giant Food, which has over 84 years' experience serving the community, and am looking forward to the opportunity to work with Giant associates who are passionate about serving their customers and helping their community,” said Badibanga. “Consumer preferences are shifting, and at Giant, product excellence, convenience, and value are key. I believe my work experience has prepared me well, and I am excited to join the Giant team as we continue to implement brand and operational strategies to serve our customers best.”
Landover, Maryland-based Giant Food operates 164 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia with approximately 20,000 associates. Parent company Ahold Delhaize USA is No. 11 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2020 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. Walmart U.S. is No. 1 on PG’s list, and Family Dollar, a banner of Chesapeake, Virginia-based Dollar Tree, is No. 32.
